


the heart in my chest on wings

by phantomlistener



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Cats getting in the way, F/F, Flirting, Longing, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomlistener/pseuds/phantomlistener
Summary: “Hecate,” said Pippa, and there was a whole world of weight behind that single word. Her hand reached slowly up to Hecate's cheek, and Hecate stared back up at her wide-eyed, caught between the desperate urge to disappear and a sudden rush of longing.At the end ofThe Spelling Bee, Hecate and Pippa go in search of Tabby.
Relationships: Hecate Hardbroom/Pippa Pentangle
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	the heart in my chest on wings

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Anne Carson's translation of Sappho 31.

Pippa's offer of a place at Pentangle's firmly refused, Mildred skipped away down the corridor, pigtails bouncing as she went.

“ _I like being the odd one out_ , indeed,” said Hecate, disbelief in her voice as she watched her go. “That child really is impossible.”

Next to her, Pippa let out a gentle laugh. “She certainly is sure of herself.”

“Indeed.” Hecate turned to face her, hardly daring to believe that they could be in the same place, that she could look her directly in the eyes, without that old familiar feeling of regret and shame coursing through her veins. “As are you,” she said softly, hesitantly.

Pippa looked up at her, lips curving into a sweet smile, and it was as if the intervening years barely mattered. “I...I should find my students,” she said, and her reluctance was audible. “And you should probably look for Mildred's kitten, before your cook decides to send him off to some third-rate home for wayward cats.”

“Dramatic as ever,” said Hecate, and what would once have been disdainful was instead warm and knowing. “I'm sure Miss Tapioca wouldn't do anything of the-” She stopped mid-sentence and stared at Pippa, horror mounting fast. “That is....”

“A rescue operation it is, then. It'll be just like school,” she said with a bright laugh. “All that sneaking around – do you remember? The midnight picnic in the herb garden?”

Hecate frowned. “A deputy headmistress does _not_ sneak,” she said firmly.

Laughter, and then the unbearable intimacy of cool, soft fingers against her wrist, followed by the heady black rush that accompanied a translocation spell. They materialised in the kitchens, and Hecate snatched her arm back as if burned. “You could have warned-”

“Come on, Hecate, my magic is perfectly safe.”

“That's not-” Hecate shook her head once, firmly, dispelling the aura of frustration. “I would be grateful if you could ask me first, next time.”

A frown, then an expression of contrition, crossed Pippa's face in quick succession. “I'm sorry.”

Hecate inclined her head in silent acceptance of the apology.

“So how do we find this poor lost kitten?”

“You can hardly miss him,” Hecate said dryly. “Look for the tabby cat cowering under the table. They do say the cat fits the witch, but in this case....” She let the sentence trail off, unwilling or unable to voice the implied compliment.

“You gave Mildred a tabby? Hecate, don't you think-”

“None of the other girls would have accepted him. And useless as he is, Mildred does seem quite taken with him.” Something almost approaching a smile flickered across her lips. “Besides, can you imagine the fuss had we given the likes of Ethel Hallow a tabby cat?”

“So you gave him to Mildred simply because her non-magical mother wouldn't complain?” Pippa said with a frown. She sounded almost disappointed.

“Not at all. Mildred's mother is...well. Let's just say that she's not inclined to stay quiet where her daughter's education is concerned. Whether she understands it or not.”

“As she should be,” came the soft reply, and Hecate couldn't help but nod her grudging agreement. Irritatingly forthright though Julie Hubble could be, she had the well-being of her daughter at heart in a way that, say, Ethel's mother, for all her importance, clearly did not.

Suppressed laughter sparkled in Pippa's eyes and she turned away to hide the telltale twitch of her lips, scanning the kitchen for any sign of the errant animal. “Under the table, you say?” She knelt in one elegant sweep to peer underneath the large wooden table that dominated the centre of the room. “Aha! There you are, little one.”

He was sitting forlornly as far under the table as he could get, watching the intruder with suspicious eyes. “Here, Tabby.” Pippa held out her hand and flashed the animal a brilliant smile that wouldn't have been out of place at a formal reception. “Come on sweetie, it's safe to come out now.”

“I see your charms extend to cats as well,” Hecate said wryly. “How are you with owls?”

“Actually,” she shot back with a smile, “our owls are proving to be quite the success.”

Hecate's glare lacked its usual venom. “Cats are _traditional_.”

“That's as may be.” With a graceful movement she bundled the protesting cat into Hecate's arms, where he settled almost immediately into a contented cuddle, nuzzling at the crook of her elbow. “He likes you!” she said with a delighted laugh.

“I tend to the kittens before they are distributed to our girls,” Hecate allowed. “It is not surprising that they tend to be... _loyal_.” She hesitated, stroking Tabby's sleek fur with an absent, careful hand. “You think I'm too hard on them. On the girls, I mean.”

“No.” Pippa moved closer. “I think you care for them a great deal.”

Hecate's gaze fell to the floor, its stone flags suddenly the most interesting thing in the world in the face of Pippa's scrutiny.

“Hecate,” said Pippa, and there was a whole world of weight behind that single word. Her hand reached slowly up to Hecate's cheek, and Hecate stared back up at her wide-eyed, caught between the desperate urge to disappear and a sudden rush of longing. The scent of her perfume was sophisticated and strange, nothing like the soft rose she had worn in school, and yet it only took a second's fantasy to imagine herself a young woman again, standing close to her best friend with that familiar stomach-churning feeling of vertigo. And now she had the renewed knowledge of how she felt, pressed close and tearful in her arms.

Soft fingertips touched her cheek, gentle and unhurried, and Hecate's eyes fluttered closed; one trembling breath escaped her treacherous lips.

Then Tabby squirmed suddenly, his claws scraping through the thick brocade of her sleeve to the skin beneath, and Hecate's eyes snapped open. She took a swift, instinctive step backwards, and Pippa dropped her hand as if she had been caught mid-transgression. There was something that looked curiously like regret in her eyes. Hecate did not dare to question it.

“I should be getting back,” Pippa breathed, and her voice shook, just a little. “And,” she added, her usual mischief returning, “you should return that kitten to its rightful owner.”

“You wouldn't prefer to do so yourself?”

“You should be the one to give him back.” Her smile was sure.

“She likes you more.” Hecate was aware even as she spoke of just how foolish it sounded.

Pippa just shook her head, the hand that had so recently been pressed to Hecate's cheek touching her arm in a brief gesture of support. “I have the feeling she'll appreciate it more coming from you. I think you'll find Mildred likes you a great deal more than you might imagine, you know. Girls, like cats, are surprisingly loyal.”

“Will I see you again?”

“You can count on it.” She stepped closer, and this time there was no gentle touch, nothing to distract from her gaze, earnest and sincere. “I'd like us to be friends again,” she said, all the confidence stripped from her voice. “I'd like to know you. The things you like, how you take your tea, what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. I'd like us to have that again, Hecate – if you'd like it too.”

Tongue-tied, Hecate stared at her, and the mounting silence held the weight of every mistake she had ever made, pressing down on her and drawing the air from her lungs until she felt dizzy with the lack of breath.

“I see,” said Pippa. She half turned away, one hand going to her face as if to hide it. “I shouldn't have-”

“I'd like it,” interrupted Hecate. The crushing weight on her chest eased. “Truly.”

Pippa turned back, and the hope shining in her eyes was almost too much to bear. “You would?”

“I'd like nothing more.”

The smile that dawned on Pippa's face was very possibly the most beautiful smile Hecate had ever seen, and she found herself returning it, knowing with a surprising lack of fear that everything she was feeling could be read across her face. “I'll call you,” she breathed, half-enthralled. “By mirror. This evening.”

The mischief returned to Pippa's eyes. “It's a date,” she said, a teasing lilt to her words.

Hecate felt herself blush. “I believe it is,” she said with all the self-possession she could muster. “But first, I have a cat to return to a most deserving young witch.”

Her silent translocation spell took effect immediately, and the last thing she saw as she transferred to find Mildred was Pippa, delight in her eyes.


End file.
